Let’s just start off with a slow clap for those who thought the game was out of town and didn’t tell anyone I wasn’t going. Yea, I am looking at me. Good thing I was able to record the game and watched it with the comfort of rewind to assure my amateur reffing skills are up to par.

Vancouver Whitecaps battled it out at home with Atlanta United, both teams sat at 7th place in their respective conferences, clawing their way into a playoff spot. It’s a long season, but every game is mission critical.

Whitecaps have put in a lot of extra time on the pitch with the beginning of the season bringing the CONCACAF champions league playoffs and recently adding two games, and travel, playing in the Canadian Championship. Now with the time to focus on the MLS, it seems like chemistry and rapport are starting to come together.

Last game came with some major frustration with it being one of those games where the ball just wouldn’t fall. One of those games that was decided with a single blow of a whistle. The goal post was a foe and the force was against us. The silver lining? The ‘Caps came out and they wanted it. Though, sometimes it’s double or nothing and the Caps felt that pressure with an early Atlanta goal.

The Costa Rican captain, Kendall Waston, takes on the task of getting the boys back in the game. Waston has been disciplined, calculated, and uplifting this season, as he steps up from the back to bury one when it was needed most. Scratch that, with the momentum of the first goal, he steps up to bury a second goal in just a 14 minute span. This time off a corner from Cristian Techera.

Going into the second half ‘Caps have a 2-1 lead. But what do you know, it wouldn’t be a Whitecap game without a penalty against us. The whistle while the ball is in your box is enough to paralyze any player, let alone looking up, and seeing the man in the middle pointing to that very distinctive spot just a few feet away from your keeper. It also wouldn’t be a Whitecap game with a little bit of drama. Drama here is defined by a referee calling a penalty, having 22 sweaty angry men surround you, then talking to the linesman, then saying JK JK. It’s all good, let’s forgot about what I just did and all play together in harmony.

The third Whitecap goal was icing on the cake, but also provided a bit of confusion. Did Tim Parker score? Did Fredy Montero score? I can tell you one thing, the Whitecaps scored!

OK, so I am a bit a lot late, sorry. But, hey, The Vancouver Whitecaps have a game today, let’s get excited.

What did the ‘Caps do last weekend to get the W that can be continued today?

Going down early in the game we continued to find space. So, people who know soccer always say that, but what does it mean?

The Whitecaps used runs by Jordan Harvey and Sheanon Williams to play balls into the middle then back out to the wings to create more space in the middle. This helped to create a ton of opportunities in which we were able to capitalize on. I want to emphasize that these opportunities were capitalized on.

The first Whitecap goal was a beautiful strike from Andrew Jacobson to tie the game at one a piece after falling behind 1-0 early in the game.

Cristian Techera was integral in making sure ball movement was opening up the field. After the initial goal of the game by Marco Donadel, Montreal Impact fell back and packed their defense. This required possessing the ball and making quick movements towards goal. This also led to some dangerous counter-strikes from Ignacio Piatti and the young and fun to watch Ballou Tabla.

The second goal coming from Techera was a beauty and a schooling in patience and tactical intelligence. It made me want to be a better soccer player.

Overall, the ‘Caps had more consistency with the same Starting XI as last game. Created more space with the overlapping of the defensive backs and more patience and possession as prior games.

Playing in Colorado tonight on their second last stop of their road trip, let’s root for them to #riseupraincity and finally, congrats to Fredy Montero for being voted Whitecaps FC player of the Month.